Third Time's a Charm
by Xirysa
Summary: FE7 He seemed like a nice fellow when she first saw him. Of course, that was before she knew about his... Reputation. SainFiora.


**Xirysa Says:** I'M BACK. After a long break from the Fire Emblem section... I'm back. PLEASE DON'T HATE ME. So I've had this idea in my head forever, but haven't had time to actually write it out. But now... I do. Sain... Oh, I've wanted to write him FOREVER. And now I get my chance. Yay! On a totally unrelated side note... I was watching Sesame Street with my little cousin, and I totally forgot how much I loved the Swedish Chef. XD

* * *

Third Time's a Charm

The first time she saw Sain, Fiora honestly thought that he seemed like a nice fellow. He seemed like a buffoon at times, and his voice had a natural tendency to carry over large distances, but other than that... He seemed nice enough.

Of course, this was before she found out about his... _Reputation_.

It seemed like every woman in the company had something to say about him, and not all of it was positive. Yes, they all agreed that he was loyal to his liege and was admittedly very skilled with a lance, but that was where the flattery ended.

Some of the vocabulary they used to describe him ranged from words like _lout_ and _flirt_ to more colorful terms such as _woefully deprived man_ afnd _hormonally charged oaf_ (the last was a personal favorite of Lady Xirysa).f

Even though Fiora had been warned by many that he would eventually make his way to her, she wasn't too worried—after al, she mused, it was only the pretty girls Sain targeted, and Fiora considered herself to be quite plain at best. Compared to women such as Lady Lyndis or Lady Priscilla or even _Florina_, Fiora felt that her own image left much to be desired. She was certain that he would ignore her.

Then again... Her thoughts usually proved to be incorrect. And this particular one was no exception.

-x-x-x-

She was training with Makar the first time they spoke—she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around to find Sain's face a very uncomfortable distance away from hers.

He looked surprised for a moment and then grinned before pulling back to a respectable distance. "Oh! You are the Fiora I have heard so much about! You are even... Three times lovelier than I had heard!"

Lovely? Fiora took a moment to look down and assess herself. Unless he found plain women who were sweaty and panting with mussed up hair and ready to drop exhausted attractive, she really didn't classify herself as _presentable_, let alone _pretty_.

She blinked at him. "I'm sorry, but... How do you know my name?" She was positive that she hadn't told him—this was the first time they had even met!

"Oh, but my dear!" He chuckled quietly to himself. "I have memorized all the names of every woman in this army!"

Every woman? What a skirt-chaser! "...I am Fiora, of the Illian knights," she said in the icy tone she used when speaking to employers or people she disliked in general. "May we fight with honor."

Something that looked like a grimace flitted over Sain's features at the word _honor_, and it seemed like he was resisting the urge to slap his forehead in exasperation. But the expression vanished and he was grinning once more.

"I am Sain, of the Caelin knights! That's S-A-I-N!" He wagged a finger under her nose for emphasis. "Do not forget, my lovely!"

"Right... Nice to meet you..."

"Lady Fiora! Please, be at ease!" Sain grabbed her hand with both of his and held them to his chest. "I will protect you with all the strength and courage in my heart!"

Fiora said nothing; instead, she glared coldly at their hands. He didn't seem to take the hint, however. Instead, Sain pulled her closer to himself and gave her what he must have thought was a winning smile.

"Now come closer, don't be shy!"

Enough was enough. Fiora ripped her hand away from his, stepped back, and picked up her javelin, which was lying on the ground by the pegasus' hooves. Tucking it quickly into its holder, she turned and mounted Makar before looking down at the knight in green armor.

"Please forgive me if I abstain. And I am quite capable of defending myself, thank you. Now," she dug her heels into Makar's sides and tugged on the reins quickly, "if you will..."

Soon, Fiora was airborne and congratulating herself on a job well done. Despite the awkwardness of their conversation, she felt that her exit was quite good.

Below her, she could hear Sain give a cry of disappointment and smiled. Fiora's grin grew wider when she heard that he was calling after her.

"Ah?! Fiora! Fly away from me if you must! But to shine so beautifully as you go... How cruel, my love! How cruel!"

-x-x-x-

Though they spoke from time to time after _that_ particular incident, it had only been trifle things such as "May I borrow your lance?" or "Your sister is looking for you." No ballads about her beauty, no sonnets or similes that likened her to the cosmos or landscape around them.

Their next real conversation took place on the battlefield a few days later.

"Fiora!"

She turned and looked down—she was still above the battlefield, looking for hurt members of their army to take to the healers—when heard her name; it could be an injured comrade, after all. But when she saw that it was Sain making his way to her, she suppressed a groan. Honestly, that man...

However... She had to admit, though, that the sunlight glinting off of his armor and the way he sat tall and proud on his horse did have a very knight-in-shining-armor-esque look. And with his hair disheveled like and his eyes twinkling merrily, he _did_ look very handsome... And when she was watching him fight (she was definitely not looking for him on purpose), he had gotten rid of two very ugly brutes with a single sweep of his sword.

Wait, what? She shook her head. _No, Fiora!_ She told herself. _You are a soldier. Soldiers are not supposed to think about things like that._

Still, she had to acknowledge him. She gave him a wary glance and alighted on the soft earth. "...Sain."

His expression as he got closer could only be described as euphoric. "Yes, it is I! Your knight and protector, Sain!"

She said nothing about that particular statement, but raised an eyebrow and continued on. "How... _Unexpected_ that we should meet again..."

He looked adorably—_did she just think that?_—confused and blinked at her. "Unexpected?" he proclaimed while covering his heart with one hand. "Surely you mean destined! Don't you, fair Fiora?" He looked at her with a slightly desperate expression, like a little lost puppy.

Fiora sighed. Really, his offer was generous. But she could take care of herself! "Sain, I can fight on my own." Her grip on Makar's reins tightened slightly. "So, if you don't mind."

A bit of perspiration broke out on Sain's forehead and he was a bit red in the face as he answered. "That will not do, fair lady!" He swayed a bit in the saddle, and Fiora was suddenly suspicious. "For I am bound to..." He trailed off and raised a hand to his mouth and coughed weakly.

"Hm? Are you alright?" She peered at him—there was no visible damage. Perhaps something internal? "Are you injured?"

Sain laughed, and Fiora cringed. It sounded forced. "It is nothing! I am the very picture of health!" And with that, 'the very picture of health' slumped over in his saddle.

Fiora's breath caught in her throat and she urged Makar closer to Sain. "Enough of that! Just let me..." Moving his hair out of the way, she placed the palm of her hand against his forehead and gasped. "Oh! Sain, you're forehead is burning! Have you been fighting like this all day?"

He jerked away from her quickly, almost as if he had been burned. His face was redder than before and he was panting. "I am fine! I can overcome this with sheer willpower!" And as if to prove his point, he set off at a slow canter. He didn't get very far, however; he had hardly gone a few paces when he slumped over and began coughing again.

_What a fool!_ Fiora thought as she rode up to him again. She looked around and assessed their situation. The battle was almost over, and they were at the edge of the skirmish." Look," Fiora said as she dismounted and raised a hand to help Sain from his horse, "just lay down here..." She pointed to a patch of relatively dry earth close by.

Sain ignored her hand and looked at her. "B-but I can't!" His tone was slightly apologetic. "I can still stand and fight!" And so saying, he leapt from the saddle and stumbled.

She sighed and stood in front of him, arms crossed over her chest. "Don't be a fool. Look at you..." He really was incorrigible...

"But," he mumbled, "I have promised you. I must protect you."

Gone was the ostentatious tone and flowery speech. His voice sounded weak and he was panting for breath, but he spoke steadily and sincerely.

"What...?" Fiora was confused. Or perhaps confused was an understatement...

Sain slumped over, his head on her shoulder. He looked up at her, his expression stubborn and sincere and honest and... Affectionate? "It is the duty of all knights to protect women! In the face of that duty, this ailment is but a blush..."

His voice trailed off and he leaned heavily against her. Fiora stumbled, but soon regained her balance and wrapped an arm around Sain to support him. She looked down, and panicked when she saw that his eyes were closed and his face expressionless.

"...Sain?" She shook him and screamed his name louder when he did not stir. "Sain, wake up!"

His eyelids fluttered and then closed again. "Ah, I see... Fields of flowers..."

-x-x-x-

"Dame Fiora!"

For the second time that day, she turned around quickly when she heard someone call her name. Seeing that it was Sister Serra coming out of the healer's tent, Fiora walked to the pink-haired cleric as fast as she could.

"Is he alright?" Fiora had brought Sain back to camp as soon as she could, placing him on the saddle of his horse and leading both it and Makar straight to the healer's tent.

Serra smiled. "It was just a combination of overexertion and a tiny fever. But he really _was_ sick—the only reason I knew was because he didn't say one thing about how beautiful Priscilla or I are. The fool's just got to sleep it off." The younger woman looked at her warmly. "He's been asking for you for about an hour now, too."

Fiora was silent. Sain had been asking for her? _Ah... He probably just wants to thank me. That's all._

The cleric seemed indifferent to Fiora's inner monologue and lifted the flap of the tent and ushered Fiora in. "Don't take too long now, okay?"

Before she could say anything, the tent flap was closed and Fiora was in the tent with Sain. Alone.

He was lying on his back in a corner. His armor was arranged in a neat little pile close by, and his shirt and headband were folded and close by. There was a cold cloth on his forehead, and because he appeared to be sleeping, Fiora decided to leave.

She had barely turned around to walk out when she heard him call her name in delight. "Fiora!"

Turning around once again, she smiled. "Sain... You look much better now..." And she meant it. He was no longer flushed, but his face was pale, and he wasn't coughing anymore. Even his voice sounded stronger.

"How could I not? Your love has brought me from the brink of death. He grinned weakly at her—it was merely a shadow of the one she was used to, but seeing it made her smile anyway.

Fiora could feel the heat creeping into her cheeks and was grateful that the tent was dark, save for a candle that flickered in a corner. "You know, I think I liked you better at the brink of death... But..." She made her way through the dark and sat down next to him. "At least I have confirmed that you are indeed a knight."

Sain's face lit up. "You have? Then, darling, come closer!" He spread his arms and looked at her hopefully. "Let this humble knight protect you with all his passion and love!"

"I think I shall pass." Sain's face fell a bit, but she continued on. "I think being at your side presents its own unique dangers..." Fiora was sure that her face was redder than ever, and decided that that moment was as good as any to leave. She stood up, stretched and made her way over to the flap of the tent. Pulling it back, she looked back at him.

Sain pouted, and Fiora gave him a small smile before exiting the tent. He looked like a schoolboy deprived of sweets."Ah, my dear, you cut me deeply! But lovely Fiora... You have flown into my heart!" He paused and blushed when he registered what she had said to him.

"Ulp! Where do you find such embarrassing thingsto say?" Sain said loudly to the darkness, well aware that Fiora had left.

She heard him from outside the tent and laughed again. The rest of the day, there was a spring in her step that hadn't been there before.

* * *

**Xirysa Says:** Sain and Fiora. Mm... I love their interactions. And incidentally... When Sain gets sick in their supports, I start cracking up because "sain" means "healthy" in French. And I should have another FE 'fic up relatively soon, because I've been working on DarkBlaziken's challenge. I just hope that I'm not too late... And Sain's got the best supports EVER. So... Comment, review, feedback... The usual.


End file.
